The police officers whose misconduct contributed to bogus charges filed in a high-profile theft case against an Indonesian maid have been fined.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said today in parliament that internal investigations found one officer and his supervisor were negligent in handling the case of Parti Liyani, who was wrongly convicted of stealing from former Changi Airport Group chair Liew Mun Leong before her conviction was overturned.
“The investigations in this case found that both the [investigating officer] and his supervisor had neglected their duties. Neglect of duty means the failure to take proper action to perform a required task,” he said.
Liyani was convicted in March 2019 of stealing over S$50,000 of possessions from Liew’s home before her acquittal in September 2020. After her name was cleared, Liyani filed complaints alleging police misconduct, including evidence tampering.
The affair led to a review of whether the Attorney General’s Chambers took action against her at the behest of Liew, a powerful figure whose family went to the police after she threatened to report them for labor violations. Attorney General Lucien Wong, who once worked with Liew in a real estate venture, denied any wrongdoing.
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While the blame has landed on the two cops, no one else has been held accountable.
Liyani returned to Indonesia last year after ending her four-year legal battle.
Shanmugam today described several instances of misconduct by the officers.
They included not visiting the crime scene “promptly” to investigate, and tainting evidence by mishandling it. The officer also did not properly verify the parties’ claims, and the supervisor did not provide “sufficient guidance.”
He attempted to excuse their behavior on a labor shortfall.
It was not revealed how much they were fined.
Instead of upbraiding them for betraying the public trust, Shanmugam expressed qualified sympathy for officers.
“I have sympathy for the situation they find themselves in but they have fallen short of expectations, and they have been dealt with in the way other officers have been dealt with, would have been dealt with, in similar circumstances,” he said.
To date, no one in a more senior position has been held to account in the case.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated that the officers have been fired. In fact, they were not and were just fined. The headline has also been amended.
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